Today Pondera and Rebel announced that they will take over the wind project at the breakwaters in the Eemshaven from YARD ENERGY. YARD developed this project in recent years, and as such, have reached agreement with Groningen Seaports on the use of the location. The main permits for the construction of two wind turbines have now been obtained.

“YARD has chosen to sell the project now to focus on completing the construction of onshore wind projects and investments in projects and companies related to the energy transition,” said Lex Roukens, YARD director. “We are delighted that Pondera and Rebel have taken over from us and are confident that the windfarm will be realised.”

“It’s a nice project for us to sink our teeth into, in view of the complexity of building turbines in and near the water,” says Hans Rijntalder of Pondera. “Our experience in realising the largest offshore wind turbine in the world in Rotterdam – the GE Haliade-X 12MW – is very useful here. We are pleased that we have found a solid partner in Rebel to help develop and finance the project. Rebel’s Wout Korving shares the enthusiasm: “Pondera and Rebel complement each other very well. I am therefore very confident that the turbines will supply electricity to the grid by mid-2022.”

Groningen Seaports also shares the enthusiasm. CEO Cas König says, “The realisation of these turbines is now one step closer. They will literally mark the entrance to Eemshaven and will contribute notably to our sustainable energy ambitions.”

The project consists of two modern wind turbines near the breakwaters. The capacity of the project is expected to be between 10 and 12 MW. Pondera and Rebel will fine tune the design in the coming months and select the contractor and turbine supplier, after which the financing will also be quickly realised.

Jeroen Deddens (owner of Energiepark Pottendijk B.V.) and Eneco have reached agreement on the sale of Energiepark Pottendijk. With this agreement, Eneco will take over the further development and realisation of Energiepark Pottendijk. Pondera worked intensively with Mr. Deddens and law firm HVG Law to supervise the sale of Energiepark Pottendijk through an extensive tender. Pondera invited several potential buyers to make an offer for the purchase of the energy park. The sales support consisted of the following activities:

Eneco was selected as a buyer from this process. Subsequently, Pondera assisted Mr. Deddens during the negotiation and contracting of the SPA.

Energiepark Pottendijk consists of a wind farm of 12 to 14 wind turbines and a solar park of 35.5 hectares. In total, the energy park will generate approximately 100 MW of installed capacity. Pondera (in collaboration with BugelHajema) prepared the EIA in 2018 and applied for the environmental permit for the construction and operation of the solar park and the 14 wind turbines. On September 28, 2018, the municipality of Emmen issued the environmental permit for the construction and operation of the 12 to 14 wind turbines.

In the follow-up phase, Eneco will continue to work intensively with Mr. Deddens on the development and execution of Energiepark Pottendijk. Pondera will further support Eneco with the implementation permits and permit management for the realisation of the energy park.

Playing a Canticle of the Sun to open a solar pv roof: very fitting. This happened on Friday 28 February in Spankeren at the packaging company Intrapec, although the sun barely showed itself. The initiators Intrapec, Ovento and Pondera invited around 60 business acquaintances and friends to jointly open their solar pv roof which has more than 1,500 panels with a capacity of almost 0.5 MW. With this, the Intrapec Group can easily provide for its own power consumption. Converted to households, the roof provides enough power for 130 households.

Paul de Lange, director of the Intrapec Group, was proud and pleased with the result and called on all roof owners to do the same. According to De Lange, “It’s good for the climate and it also yields returns.” Albert Ploeg showed the attendees that the process of achieving this wasn’t easy, and explained that many parties are involved in a project like this. After the official opening, the proud owners showed the attendees the roof and the electrical installation. Alderman Dorus Klomberg from the municipality of Rheden, who has sustainable energy in his portfolio, was also pleased: “I am happy that there are entrepreneurs who take such initiatives. There are enough unused roofs. It’s been shown here that it’s possible to use them in a valuable way.”

On 17 February 2020, the City Council of Reusel-De Mierden decided to issue a declaration of no objection for the construction of Wind Farm Agro Wind. This paves the way for the Municipality Board to grant the definitive permit to the High Tech Agro Wind Association. This is a major step for the Association towards the realisation of the wind farm.

Pondera’s Haliade-X 12 MW prototype in Port of Rotterdam has just set a new world record! It is the first wind turbine ever to generate 288 MWh over the course of 24 hours. In the next 5 years, the Haliade-X prototype will undergo a series of tests to validate the turbine’s power curve, loads, grid performance & reliability. In addition, these tests will allow GE to collect the data needed to obtain the Type Certificate, a key step in commercializing the Haliade-X.

Key figures for the Haliade-X 12 MW

General information

Pondera Development and SIF Holding, together with GE Renewable Energy, are developing the Haliade-X on the Maasvlakte 2 in Rotterdam. The development of the innovative Haliade-X project in Rotterdam has been made possible thanks to Pondera’s extensive knowledge and many years of experience in Dutch wind energy legislation and regulatory policy. The increase in size and scale of (offshore) wind turbines is an important step in generating more sustainable energy, accelerating the energy transition and thereby limiting the effects of climate change.

The offshore wind turbine prototype is installed onshore in order to ease access for testing and monitoring purposes. This will also allow GE to collect the data needed to obtain the Type Certificate, a key step in commercializing the Haliade-X.

The Haliade-X can generate 46.3 GWh of electricity annually. That is enough power for 15,900 European households and thus saves 28.1 kilotons of CO2.

The SDE+ (Stimulation of Sustainable Energy Production) is an operating subsidy for the production of renewable energy in the Netherlands, which covers the price difference between cost price of renewable energy and its market price. For technologies such as wind and solar energy, the subsidy is granted for a period of 15 years.

Between the 29th of October and the 14th of November of 2019, renewable energy projects were able to apply for subsidy during the Autumn edition of the SDE+. The edition required a mandatory proof of consent from the regional grid operator which demonstrated that the local electricity grid was able to transport the project’s intended power production (‘transmission capacity indication’). Many projects were unable to file a complete SDE+ application due to this demand. Despite this new requirement, the total amount of applications for the SDE+ subsidy greatly exceeded the available budget.

In our previous news item regarding the SDE+, we expected that the available budget of 5 billion EUR was likely going to be exceeded. However, we didn’t anticipate that the total amount of applications during the autumn edition would total 9 billion EUR of budget claims. This amount of subsidy applications is remarkable. It indicates that there are plenty of renewable energy projects waiting to be realised in the Netherlands.

Additional SDE+ Spring edition in 2020

Early November 2019, the Minister of Economic and Climate Affairs announced an additional SDE+ edition in the Spring of 2020. This edition will be open for SDE+ applications from the 16th of March until the 2nd of April 2020. The set-up will be identical to the 2019 editions. However, the maximum subsidy prices (base/phase prices) will be adjusted. The tables below show the new prices for onshore wind and solar PV, together with the provisional correction amount for 2020.

Amounts in EUR per kWh

Max. base amount SDE+ 2020

provisional correction amount

Wind onshore, ≥ 8.0 m/s

0.042

0.043

Wind onshore, ≥ 7.5 to < 8.0 m/s

0.045

0.043

Wind onshore, ≥ 7.0 to < 7.5 m/s

0.048

0.043

Wind onshore, ≥ 6.75 to < 7.0 m/s

0.052

0.043

Wind onshore, < 6.75 m/s

0.056

0.043

Amounts in EUR per kWh

Max. base amount SDE+ 2020

provisional correction amount grid delivery

provisional correction amount own use

Solar PV, ≥ 15 kWp to < 1 MWp

0.085

0.047

0.078

Solar PV, ≥ 1 MWp, rooftop mounted

0.079

0.047

0.069

Solar PV, ≥ 1 MWp, soil mounted or aquatic based systems

0.074

0.047

0.069

On December 19th 2019, the minister informed the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) about the extra SDE+ Spring edition in 2020. For this edition, a budget of 2 billion EUR will be made available. Considering the budget exceedance of previous Autumn edition, this budget will most likely not be sufficient to grant all SDE+ applications. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to submit a correct and complete application. Furthermore, adjusting the height of the SDE+ Base amount for which you would like to apply could also impact the chances of receiving the grant.

Pondera has successfully applied for and supported the application of many renewable energy projects in the past, including during the previous SDE+ edition. We are available for all your enquiries regarding the SDE+ subsidy and the new SDE++ subsidy scheme which will launch in the autumn of 2020.

There is a high demand for affordable and reliable energy in the Indonesian tourism industry. The increase in energy price, the unreliable electricity supply and the trend towards sustainable tourism call for urgent action.

Tourists are increasingly aware of the impact their holidays have on the environment and are taking this issue more into account when booking their holidays. Yet, they wish to keep the high level of comfort they desire and are used to. At the same time, hotel and resort owners and managers are confronted with the increasing impact of energy consumption on their business profitability as well as on the image of their hotels. This is why affordable, reliable and sustainable energy is of great interest for large holiday resorts and hotels, as their electricity consumption is high and not easily reduced.

Pondera South East Asia can help businesses to resolve these problems. We have extensive technical knowledge to design sustainable and reliable energy production systems. We can design and calculate both on-grid and off-grid solutions consisting of several renewable energy production systems (mainly wind and sun) which eventually, combined with battery storage systems, form a reliable hybrid system with high availability of sustainable energy.

Various calculations of business cases carried out by Pondera South East Asia show that a hybrid sustainable energy supply can be a cost effective alternative to the current energy supply for large resorts and hotels in remote areas. In some cases, a sustainable energy system is more cost effective than the existing electricity supply. This of course depends on a large number of factors, such as the amount of sun-hours, wind speeds, current electricity prices and the availability of suitable space for renewable energy systems.

Pondera can calculate your business case for increasing the sustainability of the energy supply of your company with hybrid (renewable) energy systems. A quick analysis of your business case is always free of charge, without any obligation. The result of this first analysis will be an overview of your current and future costs for energy. If the quick scan shows high potential for a sustainable solution for your energy supply, Pondera can also assist you in all steps necessary to realize the sustainable energy supply for your company.

Last week Martijn ten Klooster (Pondera Consult) and Aaldert ten Veen (Stibbe) participated in the closed seminar organized by Sive, Paget & Riesel in New York, focusing on the ambitions of the state of New York regarding offshore wind energy. Governor Cuomo has set high ambitions. New York wants to have a 50% renewable energy supply by 2030. A significant share is to be supplied by 2.4 GW offshore wind farms, which means speed is of the essence. Last year, the first 30 MW of offshore wind energy was put into service. In 2019, over 800 MW is expected to be licensed.

The seminar was centered around discussing the most important points for the development of 2.4 GW. This was done in panel groups consisting of local and regional authorities, developers and consultants. The discussions focused on the power grid (interconnectors, ac/dc, public or private grid, etcetera.), the systematics of an environmental impact report (EIA), financing and supply chain, such as the availability of harbors. Martijn and Aaldert were asked to provide some insight into the lessons we have learned in Europe and in the Netherlands, by giving feedback on the panel discussions from a European perspective.

The participation of Dutch experts produced interesting discussions and contacts. It is clear that American governmental institutions and businesses are aware of Europe’s expertise and success in wind energy, indicating that now is the right time for New York to develop it’s off shore wind energy. However, knowledge and experience are lacking which means there are plenty of opportunities for the Netherlands.

The following were the most important strategical advices given by the Dutch experts:
• In order to anticipate rapid technical development of wind energy, EIA’s and permits need to be made as flexible as possible. Thus avoiding considering only the current state of technology.
• Another important point is the consideration of the accumulated effects of multiple future wind farms. This can lead to competing and conflicting interests between wind farms and the delay of procedures.
• A few months should be taken to create a thorough plan of action, both for the EIA and the general organization, to make sure the goals can be realistically achieved. Take for example the Dutch road map for offshore wind energy which is a good base for the development of future wind farms. An important point is to also highlight positive financial side effects of, for example, offshore power hubs.

If you have any questions about the opportunities for wind energy in New York or Pondera Consult’s activities, please contact Martijn ten Klooster (m.tenklooster@ponderaconsult.com/ +31 6 46 111 889).